Cnemiornis
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand Geese formed the extinct genus
Cnemiornis of the family Anatidae
, subfamily Anserinae
.
The genus
, endemic to New Zealand
, consisted of two species: the North Island Goose, C. gracilis and the South Island Goose C. calcitrans. They were flightless
with much-reduced webbing on the feet, an adaptation for terrestrial dwelling similar to that of the nene
of Hawaii. They were never particularly common, and like many other large New Zealand
endemic species they were subject to hunting pressures from the settling Polynesians
, as well as predation upon their eggs and hatchlings by kiore (which accompanied the settlers) and the settlers' dogs, and were extinct before the arrival of Europe
an settlers.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Cnemiornis of the family Anatidae
Anatidae
Anatidae is the biological family of birds that includes ducks, geese and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica and on most of the world's islands and island groups...
, subfamily Anserinae
Anserinae
The Anserinae is a subfamily in the waterfowl family Anatidae. It includes the swans and true geese. Under alternative systematical concepts , it is split into two subfamilies, the Anserinae containing the geese , while the Cygninae contain the swans.A number of other waterbirds, mainly related to...
.
The genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, endemic to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, consisted of two species: the North Island Goose, C. gracilis and the South Island Goose C. calcitrans. They were flightless
Flightless bird
Flightless birds are birds which lack the ability to fly, relying instead on their ability to run or swim. They are thought to have evolved from flying ancestors. There are about forty species in existence today, the best known being the ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea, kiwi, and penguin...
with much-reduced webbing on the feet, an adaptation for terrestrial dwelling similar to that of the nene
Hawaiian Goose
The Nene, also known as Nēnē and Hawaiian Goose, is a species of goose endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The official bird of the state of Hawaii, the Nene is exclusively found in the wild on the islands of Maui, Kauai and Hawaii...
of Hawaii. They were never particularly common, and like many other large New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
endemic species they were subject to hunting pressures from the settling Polynesians
Polynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...
, as well as predation upon their eggs and hatchlings by kiore (which accompanied the settlers) and the settlers' dogs, and were extinct before the arrival of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an settlers.
External links
- TerraNature list of New Zealand's extinct birds
- North Island Goose. Cnemiornis gracilis. by Paul Martinson. Artwork produced for the book Extinct Birds of New Zealand, by Alan Tennyson, Te Papa Press, Wellington, 2006
- South Island Goose. Cnemiornis calcitrans. by Paul Martinson. Artwork produced for the book Extinct Birds of New Zealand, by Alan Tennyson, Te Papa Press, Wellington, 2006